For improved driving comfort, modern motor vehicles are equipped with adjustable motor vehicle steering columns. These steering columns can be adjusted both in height and along the axis of the steering column. With these steering columns, the motor vehicle driver can bring the steering wheel into a position that is comfortable for him. To set the desired position of the steering wheel, the driver of the vehicle releases the locking of the steering column at a positioning device. After repositioning the steering wheel, the steering column is again locked at the positioning device.
In the majority of vehicle models, the motor vehicle steering column, hereinafter generally called steering column, is led through the leg room of the driver of the motor vehicle or driver. To avoid injuries to the driver in case of an accident, it shall be borne in mind that the space required by the positioning device in the leg room of the driver shall be small enough to rule out injuries to the driver at the positioning device.
The positioning device of an adjustable motor vehicle steering column permits the steering wheel to be displaced axially in relation to the steering axle and in the vertical direction. The positioning device must operate reliably and must not compromise the accurate steering of a motor vehicle. In particular, it must not be the cause of undesired steering corrections. A play in the mechanical parts of the setting device is unacceptable, and at least the locking must take place reliably for both displacement directions simultaneously. Therefore, it must not happen that one of the two displacement directions is still or already locked while the other is already or still unlocked.